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Eric Brooks (Earth-616)
__TOC__ Real Name: Eric Brooks Nicknames: No known nicknames Former Aliases: Switchblade, Frank Blade, the Daywalker Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases Status Occupation: Vampire hunter, private investigator. Legal Status: Citizenship unrevealed, no known criminal record Identity: Publicly known Marital Status: Single Group Affiliation: None, formerly the Midnight Sons, formerly a partner in the private investigation firm of King, Drake, and Blade also known as the Nightstalkers, former ally of Quincy Harker Base of Operations: Mobile Origin Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown Known Relatives: Mother (depicted but name unrevealed, deceased) First Appearance: TOMB OF DRACULA (first series) # 10 Origin: Became a vampire hunter to avenge his mother. History The man known only as Blade came into the world an orphan. Bitten while in labor by the vampire Deacon Frost, his mother died during childbirth. Blade was taken in and raised by his mother's friends. Determined to avenge her death, he fashioned himself into a vampire hunter even before he reached adulthood. After stalking the night on his own for a number of years, Blade became leader of a small band of like-minded individuals hunting Dracula. He first encountered the dark lord in Japan, after many months of searching. Blade lured Dracula into an ambush, and the vampire was slain with a wooden stake. However, Dracula soon was resurrected by his servants and exacted revenge by murdering Blade's entire band of vampire hunters. Blade pressed on, often fighting alongside a team led by Quincy Harker, the great vampire hunter. The company's members included Rachel Van Helsing and Frank Drake. Later, Blade teamed with vampiric private eye Hannibal King to hunt down and destroy Frost. Blade, King and Drake helped Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts and Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, cast a spell that destroyed Dracula and all the vampires on the planet. Following their victory, King was cured of his vampirism. Subsequently, he and King formed a private-investigation firm. The mother of all demons, Lilith (Mother of Demons), hired Blade's agency to kill Ghost Rider -- the leather-clad, motorcycle-riding Spirit of Vengeance -- and bad-boy John Blaze, the fiery skeleton's former host. After a protracted battle, Blade and company realized they had been duped. The team joined with Ghost Rider and Blaze against Lilith, battling her monstrous minion Meatmarket. Blade, Drake and King continued their partnership with Ghost Rider and Blaze. Along with Dr. Strange, Morbius the Living Vampire and the Darkhold Redeemers, they formed the Midnight Sons, a group dedicated to preserving the boundaries between our world and the dark realms. The Midnight Sons clashed with Lilith and her demonspawn, the Lilin, in a supernatural contest with Earth as the prize. The Midnight Sons proved victorious, destroying Lilith and her brood. Blade's desire to destroy supernatural enemies led him to be tricked into using the Darkhold. As 'Switchblade' he attacked a number of supernatural beings and stole their power in the 'Midnight Massacre'. Eventually Blade was stopped and another page of the Darkhold was used to restore things back to normal. However, the team was unable to prevent its hated quarry, the vampire, from returning to the Earth realm. Blade, Drake and King, who again had become afflicted with vampirism, began their crusade anew to cleanse the world of all bloodsuckers. Blade and his partners clashed with dread lord Varnae -- supposedly the first vampire, the demon who had visited this hellish curse upon men. King and Drake were slain in a bloody and futile battle. The loss of his compatriots only strengthened Blade's resolve to rid the world of vampires, regardless of the circumstances of their creation. Dracula soon returned. Blade was alerted by Bible John, and the two fought Dracula and later Marie Leveau, who was attempting to resurrect Varnae. It appeared that King and Drake had somehow been merged into Dracula when he was resurrected, but the two have since been freed. Blade continues to hunt the supernatural. Characteristics Height: 6'2" Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg) Eyes: Eye colour unknown Hair: Black Unusual Features: No unusual features Powers Strength Level: Blade possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. Known Powers: Due to the fact that his mother was bitten by a vampire while giving birth to him, Blade was born with an enzyme in his bloodstream that came from the vampire's own blood. As a result, Blade is immune to the supernatural effects of vampire bites: a vampire's bite would cause him no more ill effects than a similar injury caused by other means. It is unclear whether or not Blade is immune to being hypnotized by a vampire through eye contact. Blade's senses have become attuned to the supernatural. He is easily able to detect and track supernatural beings. A bite from Morbius seems to have enhanced Blade's physical stats and senses. As Switchblade, Blade was able to gain some of the power of his victims in a manner similar to that of the Demogorge. The lives and powers were given back. Known Abilities: Blade is a master in the use of small bladed weapons and can hurl knives with great accuracy. He is also a good hand-to-hand combatant. Miscellaneous Equipment: None. Transportation: Motorcycle. Weapons: Blade uses many weapons, although his favorite seems to be small knives made of teak wood. Notes * No special notes. Related Articles * Appearances *Fear Vol. 1, No. 24 October 1974; Featuring: Blade meeting Morbius *Nightstalkers Vol. 1, No. 10 August 1993; Midnight Massacre(part 1); Featuring: SwitchBlade, Johnny Blaze *Ghost Rider Vol. 2, No. 40 August 1993; Midnight Massacre(part 2); Featuring: The Nine (aka Midnight Sons), Demogoblin *DarkHold Vol. 1, No. 11 August 1993; Midnight Massacre(part 3); Featuring: The Nine (aka Midnight Sons) *Morbius: The Living Vampire Vol. 1, No. 12 August 1993; Midnight Massacre(part 4); Featuring: The Nine (aka Midnight Sons), Werewolf (Jack Russell) *Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits Of Vengeance Vol. 1, No. 13 August 1993; Midnight Massacre(part 5); Featuring: The Nine (aka Midnight Sons), Modred, The DarkHold *Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1, No. 7 March 1998; Featuring: Spider-Man *Gambit Vol. 1, No. 4 May 1999 *Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol. 1, No. 7 July 1999 See Also * Character Gallery: Blade External Links * References * Marvel Directory ---- Category:Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Public Identity Category:Male Characters Category:Single Characters Category:Black Hair Category:Vampires